Molasses-feed mixer



b. E. SKIRVIN 1,788,344

MOLASSES FEED MIXER Filed Aug. 13. 1929 2 Sheets$heet 1 Jan. 6,1931. 3 E, $K|Rv|N 1,788,344

MOLASSES FEED MIXER Filed Aug. 15, 192 Z SheetQ-Sheet 2 REC/517i? Vin Patented Jan. 6, 1931 UNITED STATES DAVID E. SKIRVIN, JUNCTION CITY, OREGON, ASSIGNOR J. SKIRVIN, 'OF EUGENE, OREGON PA ENT} orrics I F ONE-HALF TO THOMAS MoLassns-rmm MIXER Application filed August is, 1929. Serial No. 385,484.

This invention relates to devices whereby molasses in a cold condition can be mixed with and into grain which has been ground to the consistency of flour, and the general object of this invention is to provide-a mechanism of this character so constructed that molasses in the form of a spray will be mixed with the groundgrain also in the form of aspray as it may be termed, and a further object is to provide means for thispurpose which is so designed that a predetermined amount of molasses may bemixed with a predetermined amount of grain so that in the mixture, the grainand the molasses will have certain proportions. I A further object is to provide a construction of this character which includes means for throwing the grain centrifugally outward and forward and means for spraying the molasses on to this grain as it is so thrown and a further object is to; provide a machine-of this character in which a tank is used for holding the grain and wherein the tank is moved backward and forward preferably automatically, causing the mixing paddles to mix the grain from one end of the tank to the other. 7 i Other objects will appear in the the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein I Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional View through a molasses mixer constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 22 of Figure 1. 7

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates a tank which may be made of metal or other suitable material, which tank is mounted upon the wheels 11 running on tracks 12, the tracks 12 having a length approximately equal to twice the length of the tank 10. Supports 13 of any suitable character support a shaft 14 which extendslongitudinally course of 4 through the tank and with which the tank has sliding engagement. 7

Disposed upon the middle of this shaft, for instance, is a cylindrical hub 15 and disposed on each side of this hub are disks 16 whichtarry upon their peripheries the vanes or blades 17 which will be later adverted to. Mounted upon the top of the tank is a supporting'frame 18 which carries a hopper or like molasses reservoir 19 from which a pipe 7 20 extends downward and discharges against the face of the middle portion of the hub 15, the lower end of the pipe beingspaced from this hub'anysuitable distance. 7

The tube 20 discharges the molasses against the hub 15 which is rotating at a high rate of speed and the rotating hub'throws the molasses off out-ward by centrifugal forcein the form of a more or less fine spray toward the circumferential wall of thetank.

Disposed at the peripheries of the disks as previously stated or adjacent thereto are the paddles, vanes or blades 17 These have straight shanks which may be attached to the disks 16 and the paddles or vanes are twisted at an angle to the plane of the disk 16 or in the manner of fan blades or propeller blades. In the useof this mechanism, the grain to a predetermined amount is filled in to one end of the tank 10, the tank having a lid 22 at the top for this purpose and having an opening, atfor instance, the right hand end of the tank, at its bottom for the purpose of discharging the mixed} grain and molasses.

l/Vhen the grain has been disposed within the left-handend of the tank in Figurel and cold molasses disposed within the hopper or reservoir 19, the shaftis rotated by a motor or other suitable mechanism at a high speed while at the same time the tank is slowly pushed toward the right on its wheels '11, thereby bringing the feed in contact with the paddles or vanes 17, which, by their be ing angled, throw the feed in a spray toward the right. The'feed or grain passes between the edges of the disks'16 and the wall of the tank and at this point the grain or feed comes in contact with the spray of molasses that is being thrown out from the hub 15. The paddles or vanes 17 throw the feed with such force that it is thrown to the right hand of the tank and there piles up while the tank is gradually pushed to the right.v Eventual- 1y all of the feed will have been fed to the the tank. When the tank has been shifted to its full extent to the right, the paddles, disks and the molasses discharge pipe meat the left hand end of the tank.

Then if it be desired to continue the mixing without mixing any more molasses,the supply .of molasses is cut off and the disks-and paddles are reversely rotated to throw the feed from the right hand end of the tank to the left hand eas er the-tank 'and'more thoroughly mix the feed with the inol'asses or a further amount of molasses may be. discharged through the molasses supply pipe against the hopper and the grain still further mixed with molasses until precisely the proper proportion of molassesand grain-has been secured. Thus '.it will be'obvious that the tank may be shifted backward and forward a number of times and each time an ad ditional amount of molasses may be sprayed into the grain. I

It will be understood that the molasses used is thick and gummy and, therefore, it is necessary to convert it into a relatively fine spray by causing the; molasses to flow uponthe revolving hub. This hub in actual practice is about six inches in diameter and a smallstream of molasses coming in contact with the hub is't'hown off fromfthe hub in the form-of a very fine spray; The purpose of the two disks 16 isto protect the hub and prevent the grain coming in contact with the molasses at the point where it hits the hub and before it is thrown from the hub in the form of a spray. The molasses is protected from contact with the grain by flowing through the pipe 20. Th'e tank, it will be understood, is only a means of causing the grain to come in contact with this fine spray 1 of molasses but the tank is necessaryas it is the only means which will hold a specified amount of grain so thata specified amount of molasses can be mixed in with a specified amount of grain. Thus I have provided a machine which will thoroughly mix a pre-' determined and certain amount of molasses into a predetermined and certain amount; of feed. In other words, I have provided a batch molasses mixer.

It is within the purview of my invention to mix molasses with 'anykind of feed which is passing through or is confined within any kind of a drum or -tank that has within it fast revolving blades and which is provided with means whereby themolassesmay be thrown off intheform of a relatively fine spray through, which the grain is caused to pass. Themolasses may thus bemixed into groun'd grain or any other relatively fine or comminuted material to which the molasses will stick if the grain and the molasses are separately reduced to. a spray, and then thrown together ,in mid air, My tank or' I drum is designed to hold several hundred pounds of grain. or meal. It is further so.

able'blades maybe reversed by reversing the motor used for driving the shaft 14 or. by any reversing mechanism and then, after the tanklor drum-has been pushedisufficiently far tothe right the tank motion of the blades maybe reversed and the tank then pushed from the right toward the left. I have not illustrated any reversing mechanism because such reversal involves merely the reversal of th'e motor or the use of reversing gear which is an obvious construction;

VVhi'le I have illustrated certain details of construction and arrangements of parts, I donot wish to be limited thereto as'obvious'lythese might be varied in many ways witho'ut departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

VVhi'le I have shown ahand operated valve for controlling the passage of molasses, it is to be understood, that 1* may provide a valve which will shutoff when thetank has moved to the end 'ofits stroke in one-direction. Nor do I wish to be limited to theexact form of blades whereby the grain isthrown through thespray of molasses; nor to the exact construction of'the movable. tank and theouter casing as these parts might be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention. I -claim: g I 1. A mixing device of the character'stated comprising a tank, a shaft extending longitudinally through the tank and having means whereby it maybe rotated at a high speed,

'mea-nsi for conducting molasses to apoint contiguous to the shaft, and discharging molasses upon this shaft to thereby cause the shaft to throw the molasses outward in the form of a spray, and means exterior of the point of dischargeof the molasses upon the shaft fordischargingthematerial to be mixed with said molasses from. one: end of the tank toward the other end of the tank through said spray.

2: A mixing device of the character stated comprising a tank, a shaft extending longitudinally through the tank and having means whereby it may be-rotated at ahigh speed, means for conducting the molasses to'a point contiguous to the shaftand discharging the molasses upon this shaft to thereby cause the shaft to throw the molasses outward in the form of a spray, and means disposed outward of thepoint of discharge of the molasses on the shaft for discharging thematerial to be mixed with said molasses from one end of the tank toward theother end of the tank through said spray and including blades rotatable with said shaft, x I

3. A mixing device of the character stated comprising a, tank, a shaft extendinglongitudinally through the tank and having means whereby it may be rotated at a high speed,

a pipe leading to a point contiguous to the shaft and discharging molasses upon this shaft to thereby cause the shaft to throw the molasses outward in the form ofa spray, and

means for discharging the material to be mixed with said molasses from one end of the tank toward the other end of the tank through said spray, includinga pair of disks disposed on each side of the molasses discharging means and blades disposed at the circumference of said disks and formed to cause "the material in one end of the tank to be dischargedlongitudinally.through the tank to}- ward the other end exteriorly of said disks.

and through the spray .of molassesjthe molasses discharging pipe having its discharge opening disposed inward of the peripheries of said disks.

4. A mixing device of the character stated 7 comprising a tank, a shaft passing through the shaft, and means for spraying maiasses upon said material as it is acted upon by the blades. 7 a 7 A mechanism of the character described including a tank adaptedto contain granular material, means within and intermediate the ends of the tank for taking up said granular material from one end of the tank and spraying it toward the other end of the tank, means for relatively shifting the spraying means and the tank longitudinally'of'the' tank as the materialis taken from one end of the tank 1 and deposited intheother end thereof, and means for sprayingliquid into the material in a direction at right angles to the direction sprayed.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affixmy nAvm 's KmvrN;

signature.

the tank and having means whereby it may i be revolved at a high speed, means including a tube extending nearly to the shaft by which to discharge molasses on to the rapidly rotating shaft to cause the molasses to be discharged outward and form a spray, disks mounted upon the shaft on each side of the molasses discharging tube, the discharge end of the tube being disposed inward of the pe- '7 ripheries of the disks, blades rotatable with the shaft and disposed outward of the disks and formed to engage materialin one end ofthe tank and discharge the material longitudina-lly outward of the disks and through said spray, the tank and shaft, its disks,

blades and the molasses tube being relatively movable longitudinally. I

5. Amechanism of the character described comprising atank having supporting means,

whereby it may be longitudinally shifted to a predetermined extent, a shaft passinglongi- I "501 of. movement of the material as it is being llO I rial at one end, a shaft extending longitudi-- nally through the tank and having means whereby it may be rotated at a high speed, the tank being movable longitudinally with relation to the shaft. blades mounted upon the shaft and formed to engage the material at one end of the tank and throw the material longitudinally toward the other end of the tank as the tank is being moved relative to 

